Free School News

Free Schools in the media

The plans for the Laurus Ryecroft free school in Tameside have been unveiled and approved by local councillors. The new building will cover more than 10,000sq m and will include a ‘multi-use games area’, three grass pitches and two running tracks. The building will be on green belt land on the site of the former Littlemoss High School. The images of the new site can be seen here.

Firstly, there was the Labour Party Conference, where the Shadow Secretary of State said that she would ‘turn her back’ on Michael Gove’s reforms. She followed up on this by promising to bring an end to the free school programme in the event of gaining power. While obviously alarming to advocates of the programme, this is consistent with the Labour Party’s previous attitude towards the policy and isn’t a new development.

Free Schools in the media

Two year 8 pupils at the East London Science School conducted an on camera post-match interview with two players from Great Britain Men’s Hockey Team after an international match. The pupils were invited onto the pitch at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre for a once in life time opportunity to meet their sporting idols. They asked questions about their nutrition and other sports they enjoyed.

NEDs have huge influence and impact across academies and it’s important to know whether a non-executive role is right for you. The guide contains everything you need to know to secure your first NED appointment, and what to expect from the appointment process. You’ll also find key questions you’ll need to answer ahead of applying for a role and how best to prepare for the interview process.

Free Schools in the media

Students at East London Science School were approached by the astronaut Tim Peake at a stall they were running at New Scientist Live . They demonstrated their remote-control robotic elephant and showed him how to make ice cream using liquid nitrogen. Monika Patel, head of physics at the school, said: ‘Tim Peake is a real inspiration to our pupils, and others across Britain, so it was fantastic that he came to watch our demonstrations and talk with pupils.’

I'm going to start off with a confession, which is normally when I introduce myself I explain that I was a maths teacher for 16 years – but I have a dirty secret, which is I didn't do a maths degree, I actually did economics.

NSN News

In her speech at the Conservative Party Conference, Theresa May stated that the Government would build more free schools to raise standards and improve parental choice. In addition, Damian Hinds confirmed continued investment in free schools.

The announcement follows last week’s provisional Key Stage One and Phonics results which showed free schools were once again the highest performers at these stages. Last year, free schools were also the top performing type of school at GCSE and had the highest proportion of students gaining AAB at A-Level across the state-funded sector.